Former columnist publishes a book about motherhood

Former Daily Herald columnist Becky Baudouin of Arlington Heights has written a new book called "Cancer, Faith and Unexpected Joy: What My Mother Taught Me About How to Live and How to Die."
Daily Herald File Photo

Former Daily Herald columnist and Arlington Heights resident Becky Baudouin has written a new book, "Cancer, Faith and Unexpected Joy: What my Mother Taught Me About How to Live and How to Die."

Baudouin, who for five years wrote a column called "A Mom's Point of View" in the Daily Herald's Suburban Parent section, writes as a daughter walking alongside her mother as she faces incurable, inoperable cancer.

After months of treatment, with no hope for a longer life, Baudouin's mother told her, "I've taught you how to live, now I want to teach you how to die. I want you to see that you don't have to be afraid."

It as her last lesson to her children, and one that created a lasting impact on Baudouin.

Influenced by her years of writing short, first-person columns, Baudouin writes about her journey with her mother and her subsequent grief in succinct, poignant vignettes, weaving together stories from both her childhood and her experiences as the mother of three daughters.

She writes with the vulnerability, raw honesty, and humor that readers have come to expect, and her hope is that people walking a similar journey of illness and loss will find encouragement and hope in her story.

During her final months with her mother, Baudouin's faith was her anchor -- a faith her mom had modeled well for their family.

"The last lesson my mom taught me was surrender," Baudouin shares. "She taught me what it looks like to surrender, especially when things turn out differently than we had hoped. She accepted what was happening, even though we had prayed for something different. She entrusted herself to the One who is all-loving and wise and trusted His plan. This posture of surrender brought a deep, abiding sense of peace leading up to her final moments on this earth."

For anyone living with the tension of wanting to hold on, yet needing to let go, "Cancer, Faith, and Unexpected Joy" demonstrates a powerful and profound love.

The book, published by Kregel Publications in September, is available wherever books are sold. For more information, visit beckybaudouin.com.

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